Things Have Changed For Me

The training centre was full of developmental talent, all of them preparing for the debut of NXT. Darcy was sitting on top of an exercise ball, bouncing lightly as she watched Ashley do her weighted sit-ups.

"You can be training, too," Ashley said breathlessly. Darcy shrugged and bounced higher.

"This is helping me build strength in my legs," Darcy said matter-of-factly, grinning widely and bouncing higher again.

"It's helping you be a pain in the ass." Darcy put her rude finger up and aimed it Ashley who would have returned the gesture had she not been holding dumbbells. "You have a finisher yet?"

"Float over DDT?" Darcy asked, it was the only thing she had been able to come up with when thinking about it.

"Please," Ashley groaned. "You can do better than that."

"I can't think of anything better than that Miss Flowing DDT."

Ashley put down one of her dumbbells and returned the middle finger. Darcy replied in kind, bouncing up on the ball only for it to fly out from underneath her. It caught her off guard and she ended up on her ass, staring wide eyed at Ashley who could not contain her laughter.

"Stop fucking around," Matt admonished, albeit with a laugh. "You want people to take you seriously? You need to take this seriously." Darcy just watched him walk by her before she pulled a face at Ashley. She walked over to the exercise ball and threw it at him, hitting him square in the back, telling him that he owed her.

Darcy sat in the ring, leaning against the turnbuckle and reaching up to hold onto the middle rope. Ashley sat in the opposite corner doing the same. Matt was standing outside the ring, resting his arms on the apron. They were discussing her finishing move.

"It should be quick and out of nowhere. Like Darcy," Matt told her. His experience in the ring made his involvement welcome in the conversation.

"DDT?" Darcy offered lamely, it was the only move that kept coming to mind.

"Even that has too much of a set up."

"Jawbreaker? Jeff Hardy style?" Ashley offered.

"I reckon I could do that," Darcy nodded, pulling herself to her feet. "Matt?"

"If you think you can pull it off."

"Worth a shot."

Ashley stood up and met Darcy in the centre of the ring. They goofed around, getting ready to set up the sit-out jawbreaker.

Darcy grabbed the sides of Ashley's head, holding on as she dropped to her ass, her legs sticking out either side of Ashley's. The underside of Ashley's chin met the top of Darcy's head – or so it appeared – and she fell backwards, selling the move by becoming dead weight. Darcy covered her, using the heel tactic of forcing her forearm into her opponent's face.

Matt slid into the ring and played ref, counting to 3 and announcing Darcy the winner.

"My ass is gonna be so sore," Darcy groaned, rubbing her coccyx. "But I think that's it."

"Now you need to name it." Ashley stood up and pulled Darcy into a side headlock.

"Harlequin Dream." Matt laughed when Darcy was caught with Ashley's signature DDT, You're Finished.

"Harlequin Nightmare," Ashley said, taking Darcy's hand, ready to help her to her feet, only to be rolled into a schoolgirl pin.

"Maybe," Darcy said, forcing her weight onto Ashley, trying to keep her shoulders pinned. "Might not give it a name."

Darcy went straight to her spot after showering. Mox lived too far away for her to walk and she had time to kill before he was able to drive her. She hesitated when she saw Paige leaning against the wall, one arm resting over her stomach and her other hand holding a cigarette by her side.

"Hey," the Brit greeted tiredly.

Darcy grumbled, "This place used to be a secret." She moved into the closed off area, regardless. "You shouldn't smoke."

"Neither should you." Darcy said nothing as she pulled a packet and lighter from the back pockets of her jeans. "Ambrose told me it was here."

"Course he did," Darcy mumbled, a cigarette hanging from her lips.

"I saw you with Ashley and Graves. Sit-out jawbreaker, huh? You did it well." Darcy stared straight ahead, exhaling smoke into the air. "It won't kill you to talk to me. I'm trying to make a friend."

"I have enough friends."

"Girlfriends won't make you any less punk," Paige said with a slight laugh.

Darcy retorted grumpily, kicking her foot up so it, too, was against the wall, "I'm not punk."

"You can keep the badass attitude you've got going," Paige rephrased. "I think I've got a pretty good balance." Darcy breathed out a laugh and glanced sideways at Paige. "We can get management on board, reform the Anti Diva Army and you can join us on our mission to wipe out the cheerleaders."

"I was a cheerleader," Darcy said pointedly. Paige grimaced. "I don't need any more friends."

"You are ridiculously bitter." Paige shook her head in disbelief. "I thought people were exaggerating. Lighten up, have some fun. Come out with us tomorrow."

"You aren't old enough to go out."

"We have our ways," Paige assured Darcy who couldn't hide that she was impressed. She had her ways, too, when she was underage. Hell, she still had them at 22 because a lot of people didn't believe that she was of age. "Ashley's coming. Bring Leighla. The rest of us Divas aren't bad people."

"I'm not a bad person."

"I didn't say you were. You're just stubborn as all hell."

Walking out of Ashley's bathroom, Darcy tugged at the back of her skirt. She wasn't one to be shy about showing her underwear but it seemed to be a different thing all together when it was due to her skirt riding up. She looked up with a pensive frown, contemplating changing, and noticed that Ashley was smiling at her.

"Don't you look different!"

"What if it rides up all night?" Darcy groaned, already regretting her decision to wear the skirt. Ashley walked towards her and slapped her hands away before lifting up her skirt. "Hey!"

"You don't have any better panties? A thong or something?" Darcy swatted Ashley's hands away, her forehead creasing as she frowned.

"No. This is what I have." Darcy always wore simple underwear, usually black and lacking lace or frills of any kind. She wore simple boy shorts and simple t-shirt bras.

"Good thing you already have a boyfriend because I'd like to see you try get laid wearing those."

"Forgetting what underwear I'm wearing, do I look okay?"

Ashley assured that she looked fine, though Darcy knew that she was underdressed. Her denim skater skirt, maroon tank top – with Los Angeles, California across the front – and Chelsea boots were far too casual next to Ashley's black, strapless body-con dress and bright red pumps.

Darcy was getting ready at Ashley's house and the latter's boyfriend, Troy, was going to drive them to the bar. It wasn't the usual dive bar Darcy had become well-acquainted with but one that could probably be more accurately labelled a club.

The boys had discovered the girls' intentions of going out and changed their plans for boys' night to coincide with their girls' night. Given this, Darcy hadn't needed to invite Leighla as Colby had done it for her. Darcy still hadn't spoken to Leighla since moving out and she was well aware that the longer she waited the harder it became.

Darcy's upper lip curled when they arrived and she spotted the other developmental Divas in their short, tight dresses and six inch heels. If Ashley had made her feel underdressed these girls made her feel positively dreadful.

"I don't want to be here."

"Lighten up," Ashley scolded the tiny blonde, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Darcy felt even smaller than usual; all of the women around her were already taller than her without heels on.

"You actually came out!" Paige said in surprise, walking up to Darcy and Ashley once they were inside. "You look cute." Darcy groaned and rolled her eyes.

"She's like this now," Ashley began to speak with a laugh, "but get three drinks in her and she gets slutty, clingy and actually quite funny."

Paige grinned, "I can't wait."

"Fuck you, seriously."

Darcy pulled away from Ashley, leaving her to join Paige and Summer Rae on the dance floor. She walked straight towards the bar – she needed a drink not to reach a 'slutty, clingy and actually quite funny' level but an 'I can actually stand being here' level.

A figure appeared beside her as she reached the bar, leaning over it slightly. Getting served was going to be a feat when so many girls around her were basically spilling out of their tops.

"What do you want?"

She'd know that voice anywhere.

"To be served," she said through gritted teeth, watching as the bartender served a woman who had just appeared at the bar. "He ignores me, the chick ignores me," she mumbled.

"To drink? G and t?" She jumped when the person's body pressed up behind her, a large hand reaching out over her head. She growled, "Moxley."

"I'll have a Corona and a gin and tonic."

Darcy huffed when the curvy woman behind the bar served him instantly. It was his voice. He was so sure of himself. Everyone took notice when he spoke. When the drinks were set down in front of them, Mox handed over a $20 note and told her, "a little something for being gorgeous" and the woman blushed profusely. He had a type, it seemed. Curvy. And loud.

The drink slid down her throat easily after they were away from the bar, his body away from hers. The looks he was sending the bartender were impossible to miss and Darcy groaned.

"Jealous?" Paige asked, appearing beside her with a wicked grin. She had started drinking, too, she needed a certain amount of alcohol to let go entirely.

"Hardly," Darcy sighed. She knew there was no point avoiding her fellow Divas when she was only two drinks away from acting like their best friend, "I'm going to have to lay awake on the couch while they go at it all night, really loudly. It'll be the third time this week. All of them have amazing racks. I'm going to develop a complex with all the women he brings 'round. They look like women, you know? All of you look like women and I'm over here with boobs so small a push up bra doesn't help."

Darcy watched all of the Divas dancing together to a remixed version of the painfully overplayed 'Somebody That I Used to Know' under the colourful strobe lights. Darcy hated that her drunk persona was exactly that.

Paige smiled, "We can help you with that. We can make you look like a woman in no time."

"I don't want to, Paige," Darcy groaned. "I like looking the way I do."

"Firstly, call me Saraya, Ray even. Secondly, I admire that about you," the Brit told her kindly. "You're just you and sometimes I wish I could always just be me."

Darcy drank the rest of her drink, placing the glass on a nearby table. Saraya shook her shoulders playfully as the song changed to 'Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)'. Darcy shook her head profusely when Saraya took hold of her hand and tried to pull her to the dance floor.

"I hate this song!" Darcy complained, shouting over the beginning of 'Sexy and I Know It'. Ashley shrugged her shoulders before laughing and pointing over Darcy's shoulder. Turning her head around, Darcy snorted when she noticed that all the men they had come with – most of them being large, professional wrestlers – were all taking the song very seriously. The sight of Mox amongst them caused embarrassment to wash over her so she turned back to the girls. Darcy was at the perfect stage of drunk to be around people but she was not sober enough to watch the guys without getting major second hand embarrassment.

When the song changed again, Darcy heard the girls around her scream – an action that would usually have prompted her to cover her ears but this song in particular just made her grin. 'Cinema' by Benny Benassi had become a guilty pleasure song of sorts, differing from the rock music that she generally listened to.

She didn't mind that Ashley was standing right in front of her or that Summer Rae was all but grinding her from behind. Being sandwiched didn't bother her half as much when she had copious amounts of alcohol flowing through her body.

The song changed again to 'S&M' and Ashley had disappeared to dance with Troy, leaving Saraya to fill in her spot. In true, drunk Darcy fashion, the blonde's hands moved to her skirt, pulling it up and down her thighs as she danced to the song. Behind her, Summer placed her hands on Darcy's waist and the three girls started to dance against each other – all completely unaware of their surroundings.

The song hadn't yet finished when the guys were standing around them, simultaneously watching the show and fending off any other red-blooded male who thought they might like to take advantage of the Divas.

When the song finally did come to an end – Summer's hands resting dangerously high on Darcy's ribcage and Saraya's knee between Darcy's legs – the small blonde seemed to realise what she had been doing and looked around her, shrugging pathetically as she quickly moved away and off of the dance floor. She sought refuge in the back corner of the room.

"You never cease to amaze me," Moxley commented, taking a seat beside her, pushing a beer towards her.

"I don't make a habit of doing things like that," she warned him, stumbling slightly over her words and holding the beer to her forehead in an attempt to cool down. She sighed, "I'm really drunk."

He nodded, smirking, "Oh, I know."

"You shouldn't be with me. You should be chatting up the bartender lady."

"Nah. Turns out the guy back there is her boyfriend," Moxley informed Darcy, watching her slump forward in her seat. "Besides, you'd be a buzz kill sitting in the backseat." Darcy laughed loudly, resting her head on her arms after she folded them across the table. "You wanna go home?"

"I think so," she said quietly into the table. "That was really embarrassing, right?"

"You don't need to be worried about it. Now that they know you're human – no, not even human because that was too hot to be human – but they know you're not always a fucking bitch, you might have made some new friends."

"Yay," she said sarcastically, lifting her arms into the air and waving them just as sarcastically, "friends."